The Blue Jays will activate third baseman Josh Donaldson and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from the disabled list prior to tonight’s game, manager John Gibbons said today in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link). The Toronto Sun’s Rob Longley had written earlier in the day that both were scheduled to be activated this weekend.
Donaldson has been on the disabled list nearly all season due to a right calf injury that has limited him to just nine games in 2017. Tulowitzki, meanwhile, has been limited to 16 games by a strained right hamstring. Ryan Goins has started 31 games at shortstop in Tulowitzki’s absence, while Darwin Barney and Chris Coghlan have shared time at third base in lieu of Donaldson.
The return of Donaldson and Tulowitzki is, clearly, a welcome addition to a Blue Jays team that has dramatically improved since a 2-11 start to the season. The Jays have gone 19-15 since that awful start and have won 12 of their past 19 contests, including three straight. Their overall record of 21-26 still puts them in the AL East cellar, but they’re nonetheless just 4.5 games out of a Wild Card spot in the American League and a still-manageable 7.5 games back from the division lead. The Jays will have a chance to rectify that early-season slump in the near future, as they’ll host the division-leading Yankees in a four-game set to wrap up the 10-game homestand they’re kicking off tonight.
Longley notes in the aforementioned column that the Jays are also inching closer to adding lefty J.A. Happ back to their rotation. Happ made the first of what GM Ross Atkins believes will be three rehab starts on Thursday, which would seemingly put him in line for an early June return.
Everyone seems to forget the reason why Jays are 5 games under .500 is b/c Tulo and their MVP haven’t played in 4-5 weeks.
Their best pitcher, who also happened to be the 2016 AL ERA champ is also injured, and their 20 game winner is also injured.
That’s 4 of your best players on the club gone for over a month. Russ Martin was also injured for 8-9 games. And Liriano. And Pearce.
Okay, and?
And right now everything’s coming up bluejays. Hopefully the good stretch they’re on continues or even gets better with these guys’ return
AND we’ll see you in October
The Pirates and the Mets have little sympathy for you Blue Jay fans.
We aren’t asking for sympathy
Except that they played better once most of those guys went down. Look at the starting nine of the winning streak games.
Which means they should do even better now
Hahaha what a joke
That being said they dug the deep hole at the beginning of the season with most of the team intact.
Tulo was injured coming off the disabled list and is disabled once again.
Every team for the most part suffers major injuries each season. Still no excuses, part of the game. Yankees were with out Sanchez most the season and Greg Bird is still out. Sox are with out Price and an MLB capable third basemen, I could go on. This isn’t to say none of these teams will suffer any other losses. It’s a long season.
Lol I’m not trying to make “excuses” but you’re wrong, maybe a team might lose 2-3 of their big guys, the jays were without, obviously JD and tulo but Martin as well, and are still without happ and Sanchez … those are 5 key guys, not 2 like you mentioned … I would really like you to go on and find another team that has lost that many key guys and are still relevant
The Jays are 21-26. The Mariners are 21-27 and still without 4/5”s of their starters along with 3 relievers and their best outfielder. How’s that? Oh, they also lost Segura and Cano for 10 days.
How about Price, Wright, Panda, Holt, Smith, Thornberg? Two 5ths of the rotation, two 8th inning guys and their 2 3rd basemen?
The only guy on that list that is comparable to the loss of JD or tulo is price and wright. The rest are 2nd ter players that aren’t as important… like the jays Ryan tepara important but hardly crippling like the injuries the jays have had
their starting 3B isnt impotant?
No panda is hardly a quality 3rd baseman so replacing him is easy, unlike say Betts
Dodgers and Mets!
Both have lost just as much as the jays, these three have had it by far the worst this year
It’s true every team loses pieces but to lose arguably your top 5 players is unheard of. Other teams may suffer more injuries but to lose all your best players at the same time none the less is extremely unlikely. I know ur a Yankees fan by ur name but I’m going to use Boston as a an example: u lose Betts (Donaldson), Pedrioa (tulo), sale (Sanchez) and price ( I know he was already injured but stay with me he’s Happ). What would Boston be without all of those guys? Idk exactly but i can tell u it would be worse than 21-26. The Yankees did lose 2 key player but to lose 4 (5 if u count Martin for a week) for an even longer amount of time, is almost unfathamlbe.
Why are we pissing at each other over injuries?
The Jays may go on a run, and it wil be good to have Tulo and Donaldson back, but they are still not a championship calibre team. No depth in pitching to overcome injuries and bad performances. Sorry folks to burst the hope bubble, but it ain’t going to happen. They may go on a run or two, but there will be no meaningful games in October.
Ooooh how sage of you. Predicting a 21-26 team in the best division in baseball might not win a World Series. Nostradamus is jealous.
FYI, I called most of this Blue Jays mess including the not playing any playoff games before the season even started as many who blog in MLBRumors cmments can attest…..
Seasons not over had basically the same record last year and didn’t hit in September… it’s far from over. When the season is over then we can talk
They’re 4 games out and there’s not a strong team in the division… Stop with the pessimism
I don’t do pessimsim for the sake of pessimsim, I say these things because of what the scoutseyes see, the truth. They barely won last night against the rangers, a team who can’t pitch very well. Smith who has been good almost coughed up a loss. I called the Jays for 3rd in the division and no wildcard when all is said and done. I would love to say 1st or 2nd but that is not what I see through years of scout’s training. Sorry folks. I calls ’em as I sees ’em. No false optimism here, just truth. I think the barring major trades which can change the view, I see the Bosox and Orioles with take the playoff spots will the Jays and Yankees fading down the stretch….So I am being optimistic about the Bosox and Orioles.